'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎523] (542/622)

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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
523
the fortress of Beyt, has met with the concurrence of Her
Majesty's Secretary of State for India.—'No. 3111 of 1860.
Political Department. From H. L. Anderson, Esq.. Acting
Chief Secretary to Government, Bombay, to Commodore Gr. G.
Wellesley, C.B., R.N., Commander-in-chief Indian Navy, dated
the 5th of August, 1860. Sir,—With reference to your letter
of the 19th October last, No. 1030, I am directed by his Excel
lency the Governor in Council to intimate to you that, in a
despatch dated the 1st of March last. No. 9, Her Majesty's
Secretary of State lor India has informed this Government
that he entirely concurs in the commendation which has been
bestowed on the officers and men of the Indian Navy employed
in the operations before the fortress of Beyt, more particularly
Commander Cruttenden and the other officers mentioned. In
making this intimation to you, I am desired to request that the
sentiments of Her Majesty's Secretary of State for India may
be communicated to Commander Cruttenden and the other
officers alluded to.'"
In February, 1859, the 4 Ajdaha' was converted into the flag
ship of the Commander-in-chief, in place of the 6 Akbar,' which
had been receiving-ship since 1855, and was sold at auction
for the sum of 41,600 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. to the same native firm who
bought the 6 Queen.' Ever since her introduction into the
Service, the ; Ajdaha' had been one of the Company's hard bar
gains. When carrying the mails she was constantly breaking
down; and on the last occasion when she went through this
favourite performance she nearly carried down with her a por
tion of H.M.'s 69th Regiment, which she was conveying,
during the Mutiny, from Aden to Bombay, and who were
transhipped to a Peninsular and Oriental steamer. The 'Aj
daha' was one of those contract steamers built in England, like
the 4 Cleopatra' and others, which were a constant source of
expense to Government, and passed far more of their time in
the docks at Bombay than the ships that were built there by
the famous Parsee shipbuilders. In this connection we should
not omit to chronicle the demise, on the 2nd of November, 1860,
at the patriarchal age of eighty-five, of Nowrojee Jamsetjee
Wadia, the head of this firm, under whose superintendence so
many of the ships of the Indian Navy had been constructed,
including the 6 Hastings,' the sloops-of-war 4 Clive,' 6 Amherst,'
4 Elphinstone,' and 'Coote,' the brigs 'Euphrates' and ' Tigris,'
the schooners ' Mahi' and ' Coijstance,' besides many fine frigates
and ships of the line for Her Majesty's Service. Mr. Nowrojee
was the head of the Wadia, or Lowjee, family, and was looked
upon as the chief of the Parsee community at Bombay,
where he occupied the position of President of the Parsee
Punchayet. At an early age he entered Bombay Dockyard,
and, in the year 1822, succeeded his father, Jamsetjee Bomanjee,
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